Fly high on a durian feast
Fruity holiday package buyers stand chance to win flight tickets
GEORGE TOWN: Good news for durian lovers. Now you can sample the King of Fruits and at the same time win flight tickets.
All you have to do is take up a durian package, which comes with a durian buffet as well as a one-night or two-night stay at a hotel in Penang.
Tourism Malaysia is offering 3,000 durian packages in conjunction with the “Back By Popular Demand – Eat All You Want @ Dusun 8321, Balik Pulau” campaign. Besides winning flight tickets from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, or Melaka, buyers will get a further 10% discount on any durian package when they present their AirAsia boarding pass during the promotional period from May6toAug6,2019.
During the launch of the campaign at the Rainbow Paradise Beach Resort in Tanjung Bungah on Thursday, Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said durians might “smell like hell but they tasted like heaven.”
“You either love or hate them. The durians from Balik Pulau are the best in the world as the area is blessed with nice hills and is near to the sea,” he said.
Muhammad Bakhtiar said the black thorn durian variety was popular at the moment.
“The Black Thorn is like a drug. You only need three to four durians to get high,” he joked.
Muhammad Bakhtiar said while the fasting month, starting next week, might be a low period for tour operators and industry players, these durian packages were a way to attract local and overseas tourists to Penang.
“There are also other delicacies such as durian cappuccinos, durian ice-cream and durian cakes.
“Tourism Malaysia in the northern region aims to sell more than 300 packages with a return of RM300,000,” he said.
“We hope tourists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan and Thailand will come to taste our Balik Pulau durians.
“It is tastier and fresher if they eat it here,” he said.
Tourism Malaysia senior director (domestic and events) Datuk Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar said the durian packages were a combination of efforts from travel agencies, hoteliers, airlines and product suppliers.
“The industry players should capitalise on this as there are 73 international and domestic flights to Penang every week,” he said.
The Durian Buffet starts from RM66 for adults and RM36 for children, and buyers can eat all the durians and seasonal fruits they want from 11am to 5pm.
The 2D1N Durian Package is worth RM186 per pax while the 3D2N Durian Lovers Package cost RM366 per pax with a minimum of four pax for each package.
For the 2D1N Durian Package, tourists will get a night’s stay at a three-star hotel and a return transfer from the hotel to the fruit farm.
Meanwhile, for the 3D2N Durian Lovers Package, tourists will get a two-night stay at a three-star hotel and get to enjoy the durian buffet and seasonal fruits twice.
Also present at the campaign’s launch were Tourism and Culture Ministry Penang director Jonathan Freddy P. Bagang, AirAsia Bhd government relations director Zamani Mohd Rafique, and members of the media as well as bloggers from Singapore and Thailand.